understudying

How many times have you heard people say of an actor in a part…
“Oh, he/she OWNED that role.  I could never imagine anyone else playing it.”

Well…I can.

It’s a little game I started with myself years ago (yes, I live in my head WAY too much).  It all began when I heard someone say, “Charleston Heston was a ‘Kingly’ actor.  No one else could’ve played the part of ‘Ben-Hur’.”

Naturally, being perverse, I started thinking of other actors.  I decided I’d LOVE to have seen Burt Lancaster as Ben-Hur, and Kirk Douglas as Messala.  Both great actors, great physiques…and the resulting display of pearly-white teeth would’ve inspired children to brush for DECADES. :mrgreen:

The game carried on…

I would’ve paid BIG cash money to watch James Cagney in “The Public Enemy” mug Bette Davis, for example, with that infamous grapefruit.  The resulting violence would’ve put any modern slasher movie to shame. :pow:

And I thought it would’ve been great if Woody Allen had played the part of Fredo in “The Godfather” saga.  Yeah, I’m sure Al Pacino would’ve killed him off much earlier, but oh well… :popcorn:

(BTW—I firmly believe they’ll be able to produce such films with computer-generated special effects making the substitutions…the advances in this field have been phenomenal).

Others?

Whitney Houston, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton in “Valley of the Dolls”? rasta

Martha Stewart versus Rachael Ray in a new version of “All About Eve”? :razz:

Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, complete with .44 Magnum, playing Aragorn in “Lord of the Rings”? :diebastard:   

Peter Lorre as Golem? :shock:

Have you ever imagined one of your favorite actors/actresses playing a part they were never cast for?